As part of ATNP: Stage Two project, Anadolu Kultur in partnership with Gallery 25 from Gyumri and Nilufer Municipality from Bursa initiated “Meeting of Cities” project aiming at establishing and sustaining links between the arts and culture actors, civil society representatives and the municipalities of the two cities. The first event of the project- exhibition and concert titled “Blue Orb” produced by Human Planet artist movement and Jag-Bambir will be held in Bursa and Istanbul.

Human Planet is a cultural and social movement established in Gyumri, Armenia and inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s story “Terre des hommes”. The philosophy of the movement is built around the expression from Exupéry’s story “The only luxury is the luxury of human communication”. The movement initiates art exhibitions, concerts and other cultural and research activities in close cooperation with Gallery 25. Artists participating in “Blue Orb” exhibition are Vazgen Pahlavuni Tadevosyan, Vahan Topchyan, Aghavni Ghazaryan, Ed Tadevosyan, Levon Fljyan, Armen Ter-Mkrtchyan, Gevorg Sargsyan, Hratch Vardanyan, Karen Barseghyan, Gohar Martirosyan, Hayk Adamyan, Gagik Ghazare.

In Istanbul the opening of the exhibition and the concert will take place on May 4, 2017 at DEPO, Tophane. The exhibition will last till May 18, 2017.

The Bambir is a music collective, a school of thought, an approach, spanning 4 decades, with more than fifty musicians having passed through its ranks. Founded by Gagik “Jag” Barseghyan in the 1970s in Gyumri, Armenia, Bambir was lauded as one of the best rock groups in the Soviet Union, performing original material, traditional Armenian songs, and modern arrangements of Komitas and medieval Armenian music. Today, Jag Barseghyan records solo albums, ensemble albums, and performs with original members of The Bambir and other international musicians.

“Blue Orb” is a song, hymn and ode devoted to the blue planet – the Earth, composed by Jag, the founder of The Bambir. It is a song uniting the inhabitants of the Earth, who are responsible for taking care of the planet. The song homogenously blending with the main philosophy of Human Planet inspired the concept of the art exhibition. The song is an entrance to the exhibition, which will combine music with visual and video art, aiming to reflect the human memory, identity, terrestrial landscape and homeland.

Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) in collaboration with TOG (Community Volunteers Foundation, Turkey) organised an exchange visit of Armenia-based youth workers and volunteers to Istanbul, Izmit and Eskişehir on July 18-23, 2017 implemented as a part of EPF’s YouthBank activity within the framework of programme Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalisation Process, funded by the European Union.